Machine for bending armature conductors



Feb. 26, 1929. 1,703,188

' G. w. ELSEY MACHINE FOR BENDING ARMATURE CONDUCTORS Filed Dec. 22,1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 e7 3. W 3 m7 G. W. ELSEY Filed Dec. 22, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,703,188 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. ELSEY, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO DELCO-REMY CORPORATION, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWAREMACHINE FOR BENDING Application filed December his invention relates tothe manufacture of armatures for dynamo electric machines andparticularly to armatures having bar windings such are used in motorsfor starting internal combustion engines.

in the manufacture of bar wound armatures, it has been the practice touse bar windings which are known as hair pin or si ggle loop conductorshaving spaced parallel branches allowing the hair pin to be movedendwise through certain spaced slots of the amature core. hen all of thehair pins have thus been assembled on the core, each core slot willcontain portions of at least two hair pin conductors. The end of theconductor will extend from the core slotin a direction parallel to theaxis of the core and toward that end of the armature shaft upon whichthe commutator is mounted. These ends are twisted or bent from the planeof the core slot from which the ends extend in order to bring these endsinto alignment with the risers of the commutator bars to which theseends are to be united. In case the commutator risers do not extendradially from the shaft a distance equal to or slightly less than theradius of the armature core, the hair pin bar ends must be bent intoward the shaft well as twisted relative to the shaft in order that theends will be in alignment with the commutator risers.

One of the objects of the present invention is to bend all of the hairpin ends inwardly toward the armature shaft simultaneously and beforethe twisting operation is performed. The invention embodies a umchinefor receiving an assembly of armature shaft and bar windings and havingmechanism for simultaneously bending the bar ends which emerge from eachcore slot toward the armature shaft.

Further objects and aevantages of the present invention. will beapparent'from the following description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, wherein a pre ferred form of embodiment of thepresent invention is clearly shown.

in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section of an assemblage of an armature core,armature shaft and bar windings before the windings have been bent inaccordance with the present invention. D

Fig. 2 1s a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the bar ends bent toward thearmature shaft.

ARMATURE CONDUCTORS.

22, 1925. Serial No. 76,973.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a machine embodying thepresent invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 444 of Fig. 3.

The assemblage shown in Fig. 1 comprises an armature shaft and laminatedcore 21 and a plurality of hair pin conductors 22 each having a branch23 and a branch 24. Each core slot 25 receives the branch ..3 of acertain hair pin conductor 22 and the branch 24 of a certain other hairpin conductor. The branch 24 is in radial alignment with branch 23 butis located near the bottom of the core slot or nearer the armatureshaft. The machine to be described moves the ends of the bars 23 and 24into the positions 23 and 24 respectively as shown in Fig. 2.

The machine for receiving the assemblage shown in Fig. 1 and performingthe operation indicated by Fig. 2 comprises a frame including a mountingpad 31 which is adapted to be secured to the vertical pedestal of apunch press, which is not shown, but which, as known to those skilled inthe art, includes a vertical movable cross head to which a punch may beattached. To adapt such a punch press for operating the mechanism of thepresent invention the cross-head of the press is connected with a rodwhich is pivotally connected by pin with a link 34 cormccted by pin witha lever 36 which is pivoted upon a rod 37 supported by opposite walls ofthe frame 30. The lever 36 connected by pin 38, link 39 and pin 40 witha plate 41 carrying two or more mrallel rods The rods 42 are slidablethrough guides provided by a cover plate 44 which is secured to theframe 30 in any suitable manner. The cover 44 provides a chamber 45 forreceiving a cumming ring 46 having an internal conical camming surfaceThe ring 46 is attached to the rods 42 and consequently is movedupwardly when the rod 32 is moved downwardly and vice versa.

The cover 44 provides a central aperture and a centrally located boss 47upon which is secured a guide block 48 having a plurality of radiallydisposed slots 49 for receiving and guiding a plurality of slides 50. Aspring 51 cooperates with each slide for urging the inclined end face 52of the slide 50 against the camming surface 46 of the ring 46. The guideblock 48 is centrally apertured for receiving a guide block 53 whichalso rests upon the boss 47 The guide block 53 includes a centrallyapertured hub 54 and is provided with a plurality of radially extendingslots 55 equal in number to the slots 49 and in radial alignmenttherewith. The slots 55 receive the slides 50 and also the bar ends 23and 24: when the latter together with the assemblage shown in Fig. 1 areplaced in position upon the machine as shown in Fig. 3.

The a'pertured hub 5% receives the armature shaft 2 0, and thearmaturecore 21 is supported by a cover 56 attached to the cover ift andproviding a closure for the chamber 45. The bar ends 28 and 24s extendthrough the central aperture in the cover 56and a pair of bar ends 23and 24; is received by each one of the slots 55. It is obvious that theupward movement of the ring 46 produced by downward movement of the rod32 will cause the slides 52 to move simultaneously toward the armaturecore, thereby causing each pair of bar ends 28 and 24; to be bent fromthe position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2.

\Vhile the bar ends are bent the armature assemblage is maintainedsecurely in position by mechanism which is supported by the cover 56.This mechanism includes a plurality of clamping slides 60 which areequal in number of slots in the armature core and each of which ismovable radially against the bar windings in a core slot. These slides60 are guided for radial movement by a radially slotted block 61 whichis supported by the cover 56. The radial movement of the clamping slidesis produced by a rotatable member 62 which together with the cover 56provides an enclosure for the slides 60. The member 62 carries aninvolute spiral thread .63 which is adapted to engage notches providedin the upper surface of each of the slides 60. Each slide 60 is notched.in such a n'ianner that all of the slides will be moved simultaneouslyagainst the bar windings in the core slots when the member is rotated bythe movement of a handle 64 in one direction, and be retracted when thehandle 6% is moved in the opposite direction. The guide block 61provides a bearing -for the member 62 which is retained in the positionshown by a ring 65 having a flange 66 for engaging the flange 67 oi themember 62. The ring 65 is secured to the cover in any suitable manner.

In order toforce the core 21 against the cover 56 there is provided alever 70 which is pivoted at 71 upon a bracket 72 attached to the cover56. The lever 70 includes an arm 73 which is movable against a disk Tetwhich is placed by the operator upon the vokes 75 of the hair pinconductors. A spring 76 attached to an arm 77 of the lever 7 O and tothe member 65 tends to maintain the lever 70 in a vertical position.

The mechanism is lubricated by a quantity of lubricating oil containedwithin the frame 30. \Vhen the rod is in the upper position shown inFig. 3 this oil may enter into a cylinder 80 through a notch 81. Thedownward movement of the rod 32 will cause the downward moven'ient of apiston 82 which is connectedwith link 34 by a piston rod 83 and a pin84. Consequently lubricating oil will be forced from the cylinder 80into the chamber 45 through pipes 85 and a pipe 86 connected therewith.The excess lubricant will flow throughpipes 87 and 88 to thebearings ofthe rod 40. e Other worl parts are immersed in the lubricating oil inthe frame 30, the normal level oi which is indicated by numeral 89. V 7

To facilitate removal oi the armature "from the machine there isprovided a vertically movable knock out rod Qlwhich is connected with anoperating pedal 92 by aiink 93 and a lever 94 which is pivoted at 95upon the frame 30. Downward movement of the pedal 92 will cause the rod9i to move upwardly and engage the armature shaft 20 in order to "forcethe armature assemblage upwardly from the machine.

The machine embodying the present invention prepares the ends of the barwound armature for the subsequent operation of t isting them in orderthat they will be in radial alignment with the proper commutatorsegments. One form of twisting mechanism is shown in my copendingapplication Serial No. 7 6,97 i,filed Dec. 22, 1925. I

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as hereindisclosed constitutes a preferred form it is to be understood that otherforms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims whichfollow.

What is claimed is as follows: I

1. Apparatus for bending armature conductors comprising, in combination,means for supporting an armature assemblage including a slotted core andhairpin conductors having branches located in the slots, and means forbending the branches of the conductors radially toward the axis of thecore and for maintaining the branches in spaced relation during thebending operation.

2. Apparatus for bending armature conductors comprising, in combination,means for supporting an armature assemblage including a. slotted coreand hairpin conductors having branches located in the slots, and aplurality of means adapted individually to engage the respectivebranches for bending all of the branches er the conductorssimultaneously, radially toward the axis of the'core.

3. Apparatus for bending armature conductors comprising, in combination,means forsupporting an armature assemblage including a slotted core andhairpin conductors having branches located in the slots, a plurality ofradially movable slides each for engaging a respective outer one of theconductor branches emerging from a core slot, and means for moving allof the slides simultaneously toward the axis of the core in order toengage said conductor branches and bend them radially toward the axis ofthe core, said means being adapted to maintain the branches in spacedrelation during the bending operation.

4. Apparatus defined by claim 3, in which the slide moving meansincludes a ring having an annular camming surface for engaging the outerends of the slides, and mechanism for moving the ring endwise parallelto the armature axis.

5. Apparatus for bending armature conductors comprising, in combination,means tor supporting an armature assemblage including a slot-ted coreand hairpin conductors having branches located in the slots, means forpreventing dislodgment of the branch portions from the slots, and meansfor bending the ends or" the branch portions outside of the core towardthe axis of the core and for maintaining said branches in spacedrelation during the bending operation.

(5. Apparatus defined by claim 5, in which the means for preventingdislodgment in cludes a plurality of radially movable slides eachadapted to enter one of the core slots and engage the outermostconductor therein, and includes mechanism for moving all of the slidessimultaneously toward the core.

7. Apparatus defined by claim 5, in which the means for preventingdislodgment includes a plurality of radially movable slides each adaptedto enter one of the core slots and engage the outermost conductortherein, and includes a plate rotatable coaXially of the core andprovided on one face therepi with an involute spiral thread whichengages notches provided by the slides in order to move all 01' theslides simultaneously toward the core.

In testimony whereof I hereto aiiix my signature.

GEORGE W. ELSEY.

